Never-ending creativity

Zeal for crafts drives Groton woman

Zeal for crafts drives Groton woman

February 25, 2008|By Scott Waltman, swaltman@aberdeennews.com

GROTON - For nearly 25 years, Rosemary Belden's life has revolved around crafts. Well, longer than that, really. When she was a young girl, her mother and grandmothers taught her how to sew, crochet and knit. But about 25 years ago, a friend enrolled Belden in a ceramics class. And since about that time she has operated her own ceramics business, with a partner to start, but most recently on her own. "My mother used to tell me I couldn't make mud pies when I was a girl. Well, I'm doing it now, and she can't stop me," Belden said with a chuckle. Belden owns Rose Creations on Main Street in Groton, and a large part of her work is ceramics - everything from pouring the ceramic base into molds to firing and painting pieces. The pastime-turned-profession is enjoyable because, she said, it allows her to be creative. "I just love to create things," Belden said. Requests: Through the years, people have asked her to create a little bit of everything - from dresses for the Groton school band she helped sew to ceramic replications of pets. One of the most unusual requests, she said, was for a statuette of somebody's mother. Generally, Belden is up to the task. And so are a lot of other people. Many people like to make their own gifts, she said. They buy ceramic figurines and clean and paint them in Belden's shop. Not just women enjoy ceramics, Belden said. Husbands, older men and children also get involved. Sometimes children have birthday parties at her shop, and Belden has taught ceramics in schools, too. Through the years, Belden said, she's also taught classes at nursing homes and helped plenty of 4-H'ers with their projects. She said she's proud of those children who earned purple and blue 4-H ribbons. Other hobbies: Even when Belden isn't at her shop, she's busy creating. Her home hobbies include everything from embroidering to knitting. "I'm always creating something," she said. And she always will be - even though she's ready for retirement, and her shop will close June 30. A native of Lodgepole just west of Lemmon, she's ready for a slower pace at her current home north of Groton. She and her husband have lived on the farm since 1992. "I'm planning on taking pieces home for gifts and for myself," Belden said. There's just no escaping her desire to create.